Pittsford Central Schools

GRADE: 5

The 5th grade program stresses geographic, economic, political and social/cultural understandings related to the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Approved April 1998

ECONOMICS:

Choices Costs and benefits Specialization
scarcity capital goods labor
agriculture raw materials manufacture
Labor Goods Services
Competition: price, quantity Currency as a medium of trade Resources — human, natural
Distribution Wages produce
Economy Income supply, demand
Command currency Market
Trade - foreign, import, export industrial revolution — factories Competition — price, quantity
Tariffs, consumer producer
interdependence profit - expenses  
  • Role of government in capitalism, and command economies
  • Explain how supply and demand impact cost and production of goods
  • Differentiate between goods and services
  • Understand the difference between renewable and non-renewable resources
  • Explain how needs and wants impact costs and production of goods
  • Explain process of manufacturing a product- raw material to consumer
  • Define/explain forces that create a market for a product
  • List factors that determine the profit a company makes
  • List environmental/ geographic factors that influence the development of industries
  • Cite ways technology has lessened the impact of geography / environment on industry

CIVICS:

Declaration of Independence Checks and Balances State of the Union Address
Constitution Law monarch
Bill of Rights Census Justices
Amendment Taxes Judicial
Democracy Balanced Budget Supreme Court
Legislative Citizen Veto
Congress Parliament Impeachment
Senate House of Commons Inauguration
House of Representatives Prime Minister Cabinet
Majority/minority Revolution British North America Act
Executive Dictatorship Ambassador
President Federal System State, Province, Territory
Vice President    
  • Legal rights and responsibilities of citizens
  • Understand the need for government
  • Identify the three functions of government-make the laws, interpret the laws, serving as leader.
  • Recognize the characteristics of a democracy
  • Understand electoral processes and qualifications

GEOGRAPHY

plateau source
Plain mouth
Valley river
Mountain tributary
Elevation lake
Peninsula canal
Island harbor
Desert bay
Tundra ocean
Timberline Regions
  • Understand climate and why climates vary
  • Define population density and explain why it varies
  • Differentiate between city, state, country, continent

Identify and locate major mountain ranges in the US, Canada and Mexico

Appalachian Coastal Mountains
Rocky Sierra Madre

Identify and locate the major waterways in the United States, Canada and Mexico

Great Lakes Ohio River
Colorado River Mississippi River
Missouri River Columbia River
St. Lawrence River Rio Grande River
MacKenzie River Frazier River

Identify and locate the oceans

Identify and locate the major cites in the United States, Canada and Mexico

Washington DC Houston
Boston Ottawa
Chicago Montreal
New York City Toronto
Miami Vancouver
San Francisco Mexico City
Los Angeles Guadalajara

HISTORY: One integrated historic unit has been developed entitled the "Westward Movement."
    (available on-line). During the summer of 1999, two additinal units are planned.

SKILLS:

  • Analyze advertising in various sources: newspaper, television, magazines
  • Be able to utilize and compare different kinds of maps: historical, physical, political, product, resource, population
  • Create and interpret bar graphs, line graphs and pictographs
  • Create and interpret timelines
  • Use various research tools: Almanac, Internet, Encyclopedia
  • Write a persuasive essay
  • Interpret a political cartoon
  • Create symbolic representation (i.e. Drawing) based on a written narrative
  • Present oral presentation which includes interpretation of maps, charts, graphs or charts
  • Problem solving:
    1. be able to consider other points of view
    2. prioritize
    3. make judgments
    4. propose action

Library Component:

  • Research a social studies topic using at least three different types of library resources.
  • Use almanacs and atlases to gather information about the states and regions of the United States.
  • Access the Internet in the library to find information about the United States.
 

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archived project by Peter Pappas 
Former Social Studies Coordinator Pittsford Central Schools

 Peter Pappas 

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Blog: www.peterpappas.com 

Copyright © 1999-2014, Peter Pappas

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